A short stop in Dresden

It's already a few months back that I visited Dresden, capital of Saxony in the East of Germany. I arrived by an overnight train, pretty early and the place was still sleepy. Still, quite a few people were already up and bright on their way on bike everywhere.

Of course, one of the first things I noticed were rental bikes and out came my camera.

The texts speak for themselves, for example:

• With me you are never stuck in a traffic jam.
• With me you can park anywhere.
• With me you burn at least 300 kcal an hour.
• With me you get without "respirative dust badge" through town.

To rent and bring back a bike one simply has to call a phone number and tell the number of the bike. Preregistration (with the mobile phone number) is therefore necessary. For more details see the nextbike webpage. Their "Rent a Bike" system is used in many cities throughout Germany. Quite interesting concept, because it works without the usual "stations" (but for so-called non-official locations one is charged more).

Also noticeable were the elegant (but way too many) German traffic signals near the center and the enjoyable beautiful Baroque architecture.

  

Funnily though the place is also filled with street maps showing the car parks around the center. There is even an access to a parking right in the middle of the otherwise beautiful main square with the Frauenkirche (Church of Our Lady).

Typical is also the use of bikes for commercial advertising by shops and restaurants. Seems to work well.

Moreover, there is also a large number of bike racks around most shops. A lot of them also carry ads for shops, pharmacies etc. Not as charming as the bikes in the pictures above, but still useful for cyclists looking for suitable parking.

And last but not least, a few shots of cyclists in Dresden. Enjoy!